Harry Potter and the Crystal of Time
by kenansense
Summary: Harry's life could have been so much different if Voldemort had never come into being...but Harry never knew just how close he came to that life. Instead, he has to deal with another mystery that may reveal the way to defeat Voldemort once and for all...
1. Prologue

Ginny Weasley stared at her reflection one last time in the mirror in her room. Her long red hair gently framed her face, kissing her shoulders before tumbling down her back. She wore Muggle clothing, as was the new fashion among Hogwarts students who were out of school for the summer. Satisfied with her appearance, she let herself fall onto her bed, exhausted. Her sixth year at Hogwarts was finally over. It had been ridiculously hard; her professors had apparently decided that, although their OWLs had not yet completely faded into memory, her class needed to prepare fervently for their NEWTs starting even in sixth year.

She had almost drifted off to sleep when she heard a pop from the general area of her nightstand. Jumping up in shock, she relaxed upon turning and seeing her boyfriend there.

"Oi, Gin," he said tiredly. He himself had just finished his rigorous seventh year at Hogwarts and his NEWT examinations and therefore had a right to be even more exhausted than Ginny was.

"Oi, yourself," said Ginny, running her eyes appreciatively up her boyfriend's handsome features. "Do your parents know that you're in a room alone with your girlfriend in an empty house?"

"Nah," he said, staring into her with a gaze that made her feel like she had lost her footing. "Although, knowing my dad, he would probably condone it."

Ginny giggled shortly before throwing herself onto her boyfriend with sufficient force to knock him backwards onto her bed. Stunned at first, he relaxed as Ginny climbed on top of him eagerly, feeling completely content as her body melted into his.

They kissed, slowly at first, but with increasing intensity. His hands roamed her body satisfyingly, finding all the spots that she most enjoyed being touched and caressing her in each lovingly. Unlike most other boys his age, Harry Potter was always caring, and he didn't try to get her in bed just because of her good looks—in fact, in the just-under-a-year that they had been dating, she and Harry had never rounded that final base. They, as well as anyone who knew them, thought that this was miraculous, in part because they were almost never seen _without_ their hands on each other.

Ginny let out a little moan as Harry's hand found her breast, pressing into it lightly as they continued to kiss passionately. Feeling herself about to lose control, Ginny pulled away in a sudden motion, causing Harry to falter before propping himself up with one elbow. "What's wrong?" he asked confusedly. "Did I go too far?"

Ginny laughed, and Harry visibly relaxed. "Nothing of the sort," she said, struggling to suppress another giggle. "I just—don't know what I would've done if we hadn't stopped there."

"It's okay," said Harry, although inside he felt like a little kid that had been robbed of one of his favorite toys.

"So, how was graduation?" asked Ginny curiously, as Harry struggled to regain his breath on the opposite end of the bed.

"It was okay," said Harry a little sulkily. "Dumbledore just mainly gave this long speech about how we should be proud of ourselves for all that we had accomplished, how we should go out into the world, blah, blah, blah. But then, I swear, he says, 'You know, I'm sorry that you had to sit through all that; have some booze,' and small glasses of wine appear on every table. It was great!"

Ginny rolled her eyes inwardly—although she was a year beneath her boyfriend, she sometimes felt like the older one. "Are you sure he didn't say something more—you know, _Dumbledore_-like?" asked Ginny, suppressing a snicker.

Harry smiled, causing his green eyes to sparkle. "Alright, maybe it was more—here he put on his best Dumbledore voice—'And now that we have completed the usual graduation accommodations, we may proceed with the part of the ceremony that I must admit I enjoyed most as a youngster', but the basic message was the same!"

Ginny shook her head, although, try as she might, she couldn't stop a smirk from coming to her lips. Her self-righteous display didn't last long, however, because suddenly Harry was on top of her and his lips were meeting hers and the world she was living in disappeared, replaced by sheer and complete bliss. The kiss deepened and continued for what felt like way too short a time before Harry pulled away and just stared at her, his green eyes meeting her chocolate-brown ones.

"I—Harry, I think I'm ready," said Ginny, and suddenly she was completely and utterly ready—she wanted to have sex with Harry Potter, and she knew all her mother's warnings about "giving herself to the right person", but she was sure that this _was_ the right person.

Harry knew exactly what she was feeling—he, in fact, was feeling the same thing—and he leaned down again to kiss her forcefully.

But at that instant a sudden _feeling_ swept through Harry's body, and it was one completely separate from the normal emotions running through a teenager's mind and that particular moment. He seemed to be flying—floating at least—and time was zooming backwards—the world was collapsing on itself—

The last thing Harry saw was Ginny lying beneath him, her eyes expressing the same shock and confusing that Harry felt.

And then, suddenly, they were torn apart, and space-time convulsed.


	2. Regaining Unconsciousness

Harry Potter looked out the window of the Hogwarts Express wistfully. Was it only this time last year that he had lost Sirius? He had thought then that he had reached the nadir of his Hogwarts career, but he had had no idea what would be in store the next year.

Harry's sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry had been anything but routine. Still reeling from his godfather's death months before, he had nevertheless entered school with high hopes. He knew that he would need to train to defeat Voldemort—a prophecy in the Department of Mysteries had made his destiny clear—but he was also hoping for the start of a new romance, this time with Ron's younger sister Ginny. It had taken him the better part of a year for him to realize that he fancied her, but once he had established this it was only a matter of time before he made a move. One thing Harry Potter never shied away from was making a move, he thought proudly, albeit a little regretfully.

"Are you alright, Harry?" came Hermione's voice from beside him. Harry was sharing a compartment on the train with his two best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. Conspicuously absent from the compartment was Harry's now ex-girlfriend Ginny Weasley—Harry had broken up with her the day before.

"Don't bug him," said Harry's other best friend Ron from where he was sitting gulping down a Chocolate Frog. "He'll be okay. Right, Harry?"

"He needs to _talk_ about it, Ron!" said Hermione exasperatedly. "Unlike _you_, he actually shows glimpses of feelings occasionally, and he can't 'sleep it off' and be fine the next morning! Just because _you_ have the emotional—"

"Guys, please," said Harry, his voice carrying a long-suffering tone that was not invisible to Ron and Hermione.

"All right," said Ron, slightly shamed. "Sorry, Harry."

"Don't worry about it," said Harry, giving his best friend a grin. "Say—have you guys decided what you're going to be doing for the summer yet?"

"Isn't it obvious, mate?" asked Ron, and Hermione nodded from her spot next to him. "We're going to Privet Drive with you."

"No—you can't do that," responded Harry quickly, thinking of how Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia would act if they found out that an of-age wizard and a witch that probably knew more spells than any other Hogwarts student would be spending the summer with them.

"Harry, we're doing it and that's final," said Hermione, her tone clearly giving Harry no room for argument. "I've already told McGonagall and the Order that Ron and I were planning on it, and she gave us her permission. It's done. If your relatives give us any problems, the Order will be waiting right outside," she finished, looking at Harry with a pleading gaze.

"Alright, fine," said Harry, then, realizing how ungrateful he sounded, added, "Thanks a lot, guys. This really means a lot to me."

"No problem," said Ron. "Hey—there's one thing I need to talk to you about, though," he continued, his voice gaining a hard edge that served as a warning to Harry that the conversation would not be pleasant.

"Erm—okay," responded Harry.

"Have you and my sister had a falling-out or something?" Ron asked. "It's obvious that she's not sitting with us, and you two have been inseparable as of late. I promise, if you've done anything to her—you haven't gone with some other girl, have you?" asked Ron, his voice pleading to Harry for that not to be the case. _He doesn't want to beat me up; that's good at least_, thought Harry bemusedly.

"No," said Harry hesitantly, unsure of how much he wanted to tell Ron. Finally he elected to tell him everything, as he could just get the full story from Ginny later on.

"I—I told her at Dumbledore's funeral that it would be best if we didn't see each other anymore," said Harry, and Ron's mouth fell open in shock.

"But—but _why_? You two were—I mean—"

"Great for each other?" offered Hermione, looking at Harry with a mildly threatening look on her face as well. "I agree. What have you done, Harry?"

"_Nothing!_" said Harry exasperatedly—why couldn't anyone see that he was just trying to help her? "How would you guys like it if she was to—to die like Dumbledore or Sirius did? Just from getting close to me? And don't give me that crap about how it wasn't my fault; Dumbledore practically gulped down poison just for me..."

"Exactly," interjected Hermione. "_For_ you. Not _because of_ you. Dumbledore's number one priority was protecting you. Sirius loved you like a son and would have gladly died for you; he died proudly defending you from Bellatrix and the Death Eaters."

"But I don't _want_ anyone to die for me—"

"But they _will_! Like it or not, Harry, you are the one who has to defeat Voldemort—"

"_Don't say the name_," said Ron in a ghostly whisper, looking at Hermione with a desperate anger in his eyes.

"—you have to defeat _Voldemort_," said Hermione, emphasizing the Dark Lord's name, "and you are very lucky to have so many people on your side that want to protect you. That _love_ you! Myself included! Not in that way, Ron!" she added upon seeing Ron's murderous glare focusing on Harry.

Harry had to struggle to keep a grin from spreading across his face. It was painfully obvious that Hermione and Ron had feelings for each other, and that they both knew it. Harry wondered if they were formally going out yet or if they were still in denial, but kept his silence in an admirable display of restraint.

Hermione's face went slightly red as she realized what she'd said, but the tinge faded when she realized that Harry wasn't going to say anything about her slip-up. "It's not your _fault_ that these people die any more than it is Trelawney's fault for making that prophecy! Or God's fault for making you the Boy-Who-Lived! I'm sick of you blaming yourself, Harry, and until you get that through your head you're never going to be able to see your full potential!"

A palpable silence punctuated the compartment after her last statement; Ron still seemed to be in shock that Hermione had spoken to Harry this way. Harry, however, was not angry—on the contrary, he was grateful that somebody had finally decided to be straightforward with him. However, he still was not an advocate of continuing his relationship with Ginny, especially not after what happened with Dumbledore.

"What about you, Ron?" asked Harry once he had regained his voice. "I doubt you want your sister to be put in danger." It was a low blow, using Ron's reservations about putting his sister in any sort of danger as an excuse not to get back together with Ginny, but Harry didn't know what else to do; he had been cornered by Hermione's speech and would do almost anything at that point to avoid having to go back to Ginny and tell her he was wrong."

"No, I don't," said Ron, and Harry thought for an instant that Ron was on his side until he saw the same expression cross Ron's face that did whenever he had Harry checkmated. "But, being a member of the Weasley family, she's in danger anyway. No one is saying you have to put her on the front lines in the final battle, Harry, but she obviously has feelings for you and—well—you're the best person for her right now."

Another silence filled the compartment as Harry contemplated Ron's latest words. He had been terribly harsh to Ginny, hadn't he? Oh, no—but there was no way he could go back and apologize to her now. Not after he said what he had—she was probably already back with Dean Thomas or somebody. The very thought made his blood boil.

"Go apologize. Now," said Hermione simply, and at that instant the connection was made in Harry's brain that his anger towards Dean was an obvious sign of his feelings for Ginny. And they weren't just puppy love, either—there was a full-blown—_something_—going on in Harry's brain, and he wasn't going to get out of anything until he went and apologized. Taking a deep breath, Harry got up, nodded to Hermione, and exited the compartment.

He had no sooner stepped out of the compartment than he bumped directly into Ginny Weasley.

"Oh...hi," she said quickly. She looked very good, Harry couldn't help but notice. Her hair was falling down her face the way it usually did, cascading down her back just the right way, and—

"Hi," said Harry lamely. A blush almost worthy of a Weasley covered his face when Ginny looked at him curiously, and she had almost moved past him and disappeared into another compartment when Harry shouted after her.

"Gin! Wait! I—" Harry's sentence stopped short as she turned and stared at him openly, an obvious frustration covering her features.

"I'm sorry," Harry blurted before he had a chance to be scared out of it. It was funny how he could easily face down the incredibly Dark and well-trained followers of the Darkest wizard in centuries, but he had trouble expressing his feelings toward the girl that he—

Harry froze in shock, his mind not letting him discern the last portion of the thought. Thinking about his feelings for Ginny were like looking into a long, dark hallway—there was so much that he didn't understand.

Almost immediately Ginny's features softened, her face turning into the manifestation of love. _Love_, there was the word—there was nothing else for it but—

Ginny stepped forward, narrowing the gap between her and Harry, and their lips met in a sizzling kiss. Harry didn't comprehend, couldn't comprehend what was happening, but instead just let his feelings take over as he deepened the kiss, running his hand down Ginny's shoulder—

"Thank Merlin you came around," said Ginny softly. "I was beginning to think that I might never see you again."

"I'm so sorry, Gin," said Harry, anguish washing over him suddenly. "I was such a prat—to think that I could just forget my feelings for you—or that you'd even be any safer if I tried to protect you like that—"

"Is this Harry Potter?" asked Ginny, a gleam in her eyes. "The Harry Potter I know? Did you have some sort of life-changing experience? Did you find the Lord? Did you just have a deadly encounter with Voldemort right there by the sweets trolley?" The scary part for Harry was that he couldn't completely tell if she was kidding or not.

"Ron and Hermione knocked some sense into me," he said. "Well, not literally but—they gave me a pretty good talking-to, to tell the truth."

"Good," replied Ginny. "You deserved it." Just then, a shrill whistle split the air, and Harry and Ginny were jolted out of their little world. The train had arrived at King's Cross station.


	3. But Home Is Nowhere

The Hogwarts Express pulled into the station and stopped with a final shudder. Harry and Ginny, hand in hand, shared one last parting kiss before Harry ran off to Ron and Hermione to ascertain that they were coming back to his relatives' house for the summer. He supposed from Ron's uncertain expression and Hermione's knowing grin that they had put together what had happened; Harry's distant manner and occasional moments of euphoria probably allowed them to figure out easily that he and Ginny had gotten back together.

"You two go to Mrs. Weasley without me," said Hermione. "It'll probably take a little while for me to convince my parents to let me go with you, Harry. Not to say they won't let me go; it'll probably just take some time. And Harry? You've got lipstick on your cheek," she said, suppressing a giggle.

"Erm—sorry," said Harry sheepishly, groping desperately for the offending cosmetic to erase all traces of it before the Weasleys saw him. They were exiting the train onto the platform at this point, but Harry could see no trace of the trademark red hair that would signal the Weasley clan.

"Hey, Harry," said Ginny, as she exited the train behind them, acting like nothing had ever happened between the two. Harry realized with a sudden flash that the fact that he was back with Ginny would mean that he would have to explain to the Weasleys why he was dating their daughter.

Ginny squeezed his hand, and his thoughts suddenly charted a different yet familiar course that inevitably led in a direction that was most definitely **not** permitted when you were about to talk to your girlfriend's parents.

"Harry," said Ron suddenly, snapping him out of his thoughts. "This way." Ron led Harry through the packed crowds and to a collection of red-haired wizards that included Fred and George, Bill, Charlie, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.

Harry pulled towards them, unaware that his hand was still in Ginny's grasp. "Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley," he said, before feeling a sudden squeeze of his hand and remembering that Ginny's hand was still entwined with his.

"Call me Molly, dear," said Mrs. Weasley, as always, before her attention was suddenly drawn to the couple before her as Ginny stepped up at Harry's side, resolutely holding his hand.

A hot blush crept up his face, but he found suddenly that he didn't care if all of Ginny's brothers beat him up; the fact that she was there next to him, fiery hair cascading down her shoulders, eyes set, was enough to send his heart into arrhythmia.

The Weasley family was silent as Harry made his announcement, his voice faltering. "Um—Mr. and Mrs. Weasley?—um—Ginny and I are—dating now."

"Why, that's wonderful, dear!" Mrs. Weasley said at once, a smile lighting up her face like the sudden outbreak of a forest fire. Somewhat shocked, Harry chanced a glance at the rest of the Weasley family. Bill and Charlie had somewhat neutral, although (Harry was sure) protective expressions on their faces, and Fred and George had matching knowing smirks.

"And you guys better leave Harry alone," said Ginny, and Harry felt the receding blush return immediately to full strength. "That means no sudden questioning of what his intentions with me are—I mean the boys, Mum and Dad, not you—and no threatening letters, and no hexed candies—"

"Okay, Gin! Blimey, what kind of people do you think we are?" asked George, an innocent expression on his face.

"He almost botched the whole thing, too," said Ron, and Harry, realizing what he was going to say, found himself wishing very intensely that his Invisibility Cloak was not still sitting inside his trunk. "I mean—they just made up on the—"

Ginny cleared her throat loudly. "Anyway," she said, cuffing Ron around the ears, "how are you doing, Bill?" Everyone present knew she was referring to the large scar that covered Bill's once-handsome face, a souvenir of his battle with Fenrir Greyback.

"Can't complain," Bill replied, rubbing his scar with what seemed strangely like affection. "It's healing nicely—and Fleur's fine with it, of course," he finished, the relief that he felt plain on his face.

There was a warm silence following Bill's words, and in that one moment Harry felt more at home than he almost ever had. With the Weasleys, Ron, and Ginny surrounding him, with Mrs. Weasley's motherly grin at knowing he and Ginny were together, Harry was already well on the road to making up for the crappy treatment he had always received from the Dursleys.

"So, anyway, Mum," said Ron, "Harry wanted to know if we could go with him back to the Dursleys'. Well, actually," Ron corrected, at a withering glance from Harry, "we kind of forced him to let us come back with him to the Dursleys', and we promised him we wouldn't take no for an answer."

"Hold on," said Ginny. "Who's 'we'? Where was I when you guys made this decision?"

Another, less comfortable silence fell over the gathered wizards and witches as the two present members of the Golden Trio tried to think of how to best phrase their answers. "Well, that doesn't matter," said Ginny, "because I'm going too."

Ron, suddenly animated, broke in hurriedly. "You can't go with us! Your boyfriend and you can't be sleeping in the same house!"

"Because you and Hermione are so obviously platonic friends," replied Ginny sarcastically, her eyes daring anyone to voice an objection.

Mrs. Weasley spoke up. "Well, I think it's unfair of us to make plans without first asking the Dursleys."

All eyes were on her at once. "They're assholes!" shouted one of the twins, and Mrs. Weasley's crushing gaze shifted to him before he added, "Well, they are."

"They'll never agree to that," said Ron, an incredulous expression forming on his face. "They only take Harry because...well, I actually don't even know why they take Harry."

"Nor do I," said Harry, without the slightest tinge of humor in his voice.

"It doesn't matter," said Mrs. Weasley, with a certain edge to her voice. Since dating Ginny and learning many of her habits, the Weasleys' mannerisms had become clearer to Harry, and he knew that, like Ginny, Mrs. Weasley gave little warning before launching into an angry outburst—you could just hear the impending storm in her voice.

"It's only common courtesy to ask such things before imposing on another family, regardless of their—previous actions," said Mrs. Weasley.

And so Harry, Ron and Ginny following close behind, found himself leading the search for Vernon or Petunia Dursley. He finally found his uncle standing alone in a secluded corner of the station; apparently he didn't want to risk an encounter with the Order again.

"Are you ready then, boy?" asked Uncle Vernon viciously.

"Erm—yeah, about," said Harry. Merlin, this was killing him. "But first I wanted to ask you whether my friends Ron, Hermione, and—Ginny?" he half-said, half-asked, watching the expression on Ron's face, "could come and stay with me. They could use sleeping bags and sleep in my room, and—"

"Absolutely not!" said Uncle Vernon loudly, interrupting Harry. "I will not have any more _wizards_ in my house than absolutely necessary to protect the lives of my family! And furthermore, how dare you even have the nerve to ask me such a question? You are no better than a _pet_ to us, Harry—a flea-bitten mongrel that—"

But he didn't get any further, for Ginny's wand was out and pointed directly between his eyes. "Listen, you bloody bastard," said the redhead, with a release of energy that Harry found almost palpable. "That _mongrel_ happens to be my boyfriend, and I'd just like to let you know that among wizards he has much more of a family than your spoiled-rotten son will ever know! Now, I've heard some of the shit that you've done to him in the past, and I have no earthly idea why he continues to allow you to get away with it, but if you ever talk about him that way again when I'm here I swear I'll curse you straight into Hell where you belong! You understand?"

There was no answer from Uncle Vernon, who was staring at Ginny with his mouth open. Harry supposed he looked the same way, although he didn't care much at the moment. Ginny's emotional words had sparked something deep inside him that washed over him like a salve, healing wounds that Harry never even knew he had. He put his arm around Ginny, words failing to express what he felt.

Uncle Vernon was a coward, Harry thought as he watched the portly man cower. Harry had always known that. And Harry knew that Vernon's mind was being torn between two choices—lose any semblance of pride that he had left in the eyes of everyone present by backing down, or face Ginny's wand by attacking a sixteen-year-old girl in the middle of a train station packed with wizards and witches.

Apparently he had chosen the former, for the next thing that happened was Uncle Vernon's saying to Harry, "I'm leaving. You want to come back, boy, you'll follow me to the car, **_alone_**, and say not a word until we reach Privet Drive." With these words, Harry's uncle exited the station into the parking lot.

Ginny was quivering in Harry's arms. He pulled her into a hug, ignoring Ron's presence in the vicinity.

"That was—wow," said Harry, half-smiling. "Thanks a lot."

"I'll kill that man, I promise," replied Ginny, her wand still pointed at Uncle Vernon's retreating form.

"He's not worth it, Gin," replied Harry.

"Why not? I really don't see why you continue to take crap from him, Harry! He's just an oversized bully—"

"And as such, he's not worth my time," said Harry, taking Ginny's hand. "Honestly, Gin, I only have to put up with him for one more year, and it's not worth the mess we'll get into if we—_any of us_—try to make him pay."

"You're—you're right," said Ginny, regaining her composure and squeezing Harry's hand. "You're so mature about this, Harry—if it had been me, I—don't know what I would've done."

"So I take that as a no?" said Ron from Harry's other side. "I guess we'll have to sneak out, Harry. I wouldn't be surprised if Mum and Dad didn't help us do it once they hear how your uncle treated you, but if not Fred and George will certainly have something up their sleeves."

"_There_ you are!" came a voice from behind Harry, and he turned around to find Hermione, her parents behind her.

"Yeah—apparently my uncle didn't take too well to the idea of you guys coming over," said Harry, a bit disheartened.

"Well, we'll come anyway!" said Hermione rebelliously. "We promise, Harry. **Don't** we, Ron?" she asked.

"Yeah! We promise!" said Ron quickly, fearful of Hermione's wrath but sincere just the same.

Ginny spun Harry around without warning and gave him a passionate kiss. "We'll make it, Harry, we promise," she said. "We'll just—need a little more time than we originally planned. But we'll have Mum around in no time."

"Thanks, Gin," said Harry. "Well—I'd better get going; I wouldn't be surprised if he leaves without me."

"See you later, mate," said Ron, and Hermione gave Harry one of her crushing hugs, during which she promised that she'd come as soon as possible, most likely with Ron and Ginny. Then Harry ran out the door of the station to Uncle Vernon's waiting car.

Harry and Uncle Vernon were the only people in the car; apparently Aunt Petunia and Dudley were out shopping. The entire drive home, as requested, Harry didn't say a word to his uncle, but the silence between them spoke volumes about their relationship. Harry found himself thinking philosophically about why his relationship with his uncle had turned as bad as it did, but as the Dursleys' car pulled into Wisteria Walk he realized that prolonged thinking on that subject would give him a headache.

The car drove up the driveway to 4 Privet Drive just as silently as before. The garage door creaked open to reveal the Dursleys' immaculate garage, and the car rolled to a stop. Uncle Vernon was the first out.

A sudden flash of green light half-blinded Harry as he looked up in shock to see Uncle Vernon's dead body fly back into the driver's seat.


	4. La Noche Boca Arriba

_A sudden flash of green light half-blinded Harry as he looked up in shock to see Uncle Vernon's dead body fly back into the driver's seat._

Harry simply stared ahead, unwilling to believe what had just happened. His blustering, immense Uncle Vernon, who had been the scourge of his life but at least something constant...he was _dead_.

"Happy to see us, Potter?" came an aristocratic voice from outside the car, and at hearing Lucius Malfoy speak Harry suddenly snapped back to the present.

He threw himself under the driver's seat just as a jet of light smashed into the car. Harry found himself briefly airborne before an enormous jolt shook his body and he landed facedown against the backseat.

What was happening? Harry's head was throbbing violently, and he couldn't seem to remember what had just occurred. His surroundings were unfamiliar, and it was almost as if he was in an upside-down car. But that couldn't be right...things were so _weird_. Harry let out a half-laugh as he plopped down on the upholstery. Aunt Petunia would be _so_ mad if she saw him putting his feet up on her upholstery.

Suddenly the car door tore open and Harry found himself face to face with one of the strangest-looking women he had ever seen. She had once been beautiful, but her disheveled black hair and unaware expression gave her the impression of someone escaped from an insane asylum.

"Hi," managed Harry to the woman, who was staring at him with barely masked glee. "He's _mine_, Lucius!" she shouted to someone outside the car. Did she want to mess around with him? That was fine by him as long as she didn't act too crazy the whole time. The goofy expression she was currently wearing made it look kind of like she was going to suddenly lunge at him and choke him with her bare hands.

The crazy woman pulled something out of the robes she was wearing...a wooden stick. What—

"_Crucio!_" she cried, thrusting the stick at Harry, who was suddenly in the midst of the most terrible pain he had ever experienced. Well, aside from that as Sirius flew backwards through the veil, the imprint of his laughing essence slowly fading from this world.

Wait...Harry began to snap back into reality. The crazy woman was Bellatrix Lestrange, and she was a member of a powerful organization that wanted him dead. He was Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, and if he wanted to live much longer he had to find a way out of the situation he was in, and fast.

The torturous Cruciatus Curse suddenly began to fade. Looking around, Harry realized the Death Eaters were in combat with three others who had just arrived on the scene—Ron, Hermione, and...

Ginny.

Struggling to his feet, Harry took advantage of Bellatrix's momentary distraction to Stun her with the wand he quickly produced from his pocket upon remembering how to work it. The addition of three new fighters to the game, although it had at first shocked the Death Eaters, would not make much of a difference in the long run. Harry could see ten individual Death Eaters within his immediate range of sight. How many more were covering the house, hidden around the corner, in the yard, or killing Aunt Petunia and Dudley inside right now—well, that remained to be seen.

A quick series of pops echoed throughout Privet Drive, and several Order members arrived on the scene. Remus Lupin, Nymphadora Tonks, Mad-Eye Moody, and Mundungus Fletcher made up only the wizards Harry could immediately spot.

The Death Eaters were in chaos now and probably preparing to retreat. Running as quickly as he could to his on-again girlfriend, he shouted, "Go home, Gin! You're not getting hurt out here!"

"The hell I'm not!" she shouted back stubbornly. "Done are the days where you can stumble into duels with Death Eaters and I'll sit at home and do what I'm told!"

'Damn it, Ginny,' Harry thought to himself as he dodged an Imperius Curse and returned a Stunner to Crabbe Sr., 'we don't need another hero.'

The Order were closing in on the few remaining Death Eaters. Most of them remained indecisive, but Harry saw out of the corner of his eye Bellatrix Lestrange make a sudden movement at Tonks. The Metamorphmagus flew backwards, breaking the tight formation of the Order, and Bellatrix ran towards Harry—no, wait, she was turning—

Harry fired a quick Stunner at her but barely missed. Bellatrix stopped just in front of Ginny.

_Oh, Merlin..._

A Cruciatus Curse erupted from Bellatrix's wand and slammed into Ginny's frail body, and she was writhing on the floor in terror. Before Harry knew what was happening, he was right in front of Bellatrix, taking the curse for Ginny, and the pain seemed to barely touch him, seemed to be what he deserved for letting Gin out of his sight for even one second, and in the midst of the curse Harry rose and, feeling as much hatred as he had ever felt for any human being, pointed his wand directly at Bellatrix's face and shouted, "_Crucio!_"

This time she didn't taunt him or call him baby names. She couldn't, because she was the one being tortured this time, getting a dose of her own medicine...

"Ohh..." murmured Bellatrix, and Harry was shocked and disgusted to find that she was having an _orgasm_ due to the pain. Something beating into his skull repeatedly urged him on, and he was about to try his luck at the _Avada Kedavra_ curse when Remus yanked his arm away from the satisfied witch and threw a Stunner point-blank at her.

Harry fell to the ground, exhausted, and the last thing he saw was Ginny's confused and frightened expression as she stared at him, unable to understand what had just happened.

- - - -

_Two wizards were traipsing through a treeless plain. One was a slim, green-eyed, black-haired man that exuded a dangerous aura. Another, this one carrying what appeared to be an overlarge Muggle camera, was quite obese and was sweating with excitement and curiosity. The occasional house dotted the mostly bleak landscape._

"_What d'you reckon this is, Rufus?" asked one of the men. "We get a lead about some magical object found in a Muggle village, but we're not allowed to tell our families about it. We're not allowed to bring our wands. And no one tells us anything about the object, where it came from, what it does."_

"'_S strange all right, Tom," replied the other. "Still, it can't be anything too dangerous, or the Ministry wouldn't have allowed us anywhere near it." Rufus pulled a map out from within his robes and checked it once, then beckoned to Tom and the pair headed off towards one of the sparse houses in the village._

_They entered the house and were surprised to be confronted instantly by a Ministry official—none other than the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Amelia Bones._

"_We've got the owner under a Sleeping Charm right now," she stated. "You have five minutes to take down your best observations of the object, then the Quibbler's coming in."_

"_The Quibbler?" spoke Rufus. "My ass would be offended if I used that rag as toilet paper!"_

"_Five minutes," reminded the stern witch, gesturing towards a door farther back in the residence. Tom and Rufus quickly hurried through it._

_They were confronted by a medium-sized emerald crystal, hovering suspended in midair as if held up by invisible strings. Rufus, the first in, merely stared at it in astonishment. However, Tom seemed to recognize it in some way, for his initial awe was much greater than Rufus's, and his ensuing acceptance much more devious._

"_What the hell is that thing?" asked Rufus confusedly._

_Tom only shook his head, hiding his plotting beneath a naïve veneer._

_Rufus withdrew a Quick-Quotes Quill from his robe pocket and began dictating to it as he walked around the crystal. "It seems to shine with a glow not from this world," spoke the reporter. "The Ministry fears it, although they seem to have no more knowledge of what it is than we do. It is a perfectly cut jewel, symmetrical in every way, almost unreal—"_

_Rufus cut off as he saw his partner pull out his wand and point it at the larger man. "Tom, what—"_

"Avada Kedavra_," whispered Tom, and a spout of green light engulfed Rufus, pulling him into the realm of darkness._

"_I don't believe it," spoke Tom, pocketing his wand. He reached up hesitatingly and touched the crystal softly. When he found no otherworldly resistance, he took the crystal in his arms, like a child or a lover, and exited the room, pulling his wand back out as he approached Amelia Bones._

- - - -

Harry's eyes shot open. He quickly reached for his wand; it wasn't there! Had he been captured? The world around him was evanescing and breaking off into streams of light before reforming in even stranger pictures. Could he be in some obscure torture chamber? He shyly tested his bonds, finding himself only able to move minutely to the left and right.

"Mr. Potter! You're awake!"

Harry blinked and found himself in the Hogwarts Hospital Wing, Madam Pomfrey rushing towards him. "What happened?" he asked, struggling to sit up.

"Don't move, Mr. Potter," she warned him sternly. "You've greatly overexerted yourself. The Cruciatus involves incredible amounts of emotion and focus to cast. You're lucky you woke up this fast."

Harry waited mouth agape as the events of earlier that day returned to him. Had he used the _Cruciatus Curse_ on another human being? Although Bellatrix Lestrange was deserving of it, the Cruciatus was used only by dark wizards.

What would Ginny think of him?

"Here, drink this," she said, shoving a potion into his hand. "When you're ready, you have some very eager visitors waiting right outside."

Were his friends there? Was Ginny? Harry quickly downed the potion. "I'm ready now, I think," he said, trying vainly to hide his eagerness.

He received a stern look from the kindly nurse, but she seemed to have no great aversion to letting his friends in, and in an instant a red blur flew through the door and threw herself onto his (still aching) body.

"Oomph," ejected Harry as Ginny crushed him in a bear hug. "Harry! I can't believe you got attacked at Privet Drive! I'm so sorry about your uncle! And to think we were about to visit! Oh, I feel so bad I was so mean to him before—"

The thought of Uncle Vernon brought another unpleasantness to Harry's mind. Although his uncle had never been well-loved by Harry, he certainly didn't deserve to die like that. And speaking of Uncle Vernon—

"My—what about Aunt Petunia and Dudley? Oh no, they were killed, weren't they?" asked Harry, feeling as though another unpleasant realization would be entirely in keeping with the theme of his day.

"From what McGonagall said, they were out shopping at the time," said Ron from his place at Harry's side. At these words an enormous burden lifted from Harry's chest.

"Oh Harry, I'm so sorry, I wasn't thinking when I asked you that, I should've known you'd still be hurting over it..."

His need to care for Ginny overcame his self-pity. "Hey, Gin, please don't be like this," he said, putting a hand on his girlfriend's arm. "I know you care about me, and I know you wouldn't do anything to hurt me."

She grasped his hand tightly. "You're right," she said, somewhat sheepishly.

The loud clearing of a throat turned both Harry and Ginny's attention away from each other. Standing before Harry's bed was Professor McGonagall, her usual stern expression softening slightly as she examined Harry's weakened state. "After you are done visiting with your friends, Mr. Potter," she said, "Professor Dumbledore's portrait wishes to have a word with you."


End file.
